July 04, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 18, 1428

NEW YORK, July 3: Former federal minister Nilofar Bakhtiar on Monday urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu action against the Lal Masjid administration for issuing a “false fatwa” against her.

Speaking to journalists here, she warned that if no action was taken by the apex court, she would initiate civil and criminal proceedings against the mosque for damaging her reputation and her political career.

Ms Bakhtiar expressed alarm that extremism was on the rise in Pakistan and that the Lal Masjid had become a “state within a state.”

She pointed out that she had already served a legal notice on the so-called “Sharia court” established by the Lal Masjid administration, but the radical clerics had not apologized to her.

When asked why was the government not taking any action against the Lal Masjid administration, she said this question should be asked to President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

She regretted that neither the government nor her Pakistan Muslim League party supported her, leaving her with no option but to resign from the cabinet.

While in office, she said, she had courageously advocated the cause of women's rights, something which no one in the present government appreciated.

Replying to a question, she said the country's system could not be changed with big landlords running the show.